‘Dear Leader’ makes comeback as a tourist attraction

Share via

The embalmed body of Kim Jong Il lies in state at the Kumsusan PalaceReuters

2 of 3

An official car carries a portrait of Kim Jong Il during his funeral procession in PyongyangGetty

3 of 3

Thousands gathered to say their farewells to their Dear LeaderEPA

Richard Lloyd Parry

Published at 12:01AM, January 22 2013

According to the official mythology, Kim Jong Il was remarkable in many ways —
a genius, polymath and philanthropist, who once scored five holes-in-one
during a round of golf. Now the late dictator of North Korea has entered one
of the most exclusive clubs of all — that of former heads of state embalmed
after death.

Following the example of Lenin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh, Kim’s pickled corpse has
gone on display in the state mausoleum, where British tourists recently
became the first to behold him in his posthumous splendour. According to
one, he has come out of the gruesome embalming